The Battle for Guildford - Can We Save Historic Guildford in the South of England from Destruction?
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- Опубликовано: 24 мар 2023
- This is a short film about how one of this country’s many historic towns came under siege and how a battle was and is still now being fought for it.
A local political group, Residents for Guildford and Villages (R4GV), won enough council seats in 2019 to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and took control of the Council. They then, led by an ex-City banker as Council Leader, and an ex-Director of Savills the global property firm, as the Council's Councillor for Regeneration, started working quietly with developers on a huge high-rise scheme for the town-centre.
The plan is for 13 tower blocks up to 13 storeys high - exactly the sort of construction project that caused so many social issues as a consequence of being built in towns and cities in the 60s and 70s - resulting in some of them being eventually torn-down.
Very few residents (less than 1%) were informed of this plan and it was very nearly passed at a Council meeting on January 11th 2023. Had it not been prevented from being approved, my a last-minute campaign, the town would have been destroyed for generations - perhaps for ever.
But now, with local elections on 4th May 2023, there is a clear danger that, if R4GV achieve their objective and again win seats on the council, they will push the scheme and many others coming down-track through - and the town will still in all likelihood be lost forever.
But now. Perhaps the people of the ancient market-town of Guildford in the South of England will awake to the threat that confronts them and vote instead, on 4th May 2023, for others who will avoid this terrible outcome.
Thanks for watching. More information is available at www.GuildfordExaminer.com
#GuildfordExaminer #R4GV #SaveOurTown #SmallBattleFought #ResidentsForGuildfordAndVillages #Guildford,Surrey #GuildfordTownCenter #NorthStreetDevelopment #CampaignAgainstHighRise #democracy #Surrey
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Well done, indeed. Superb video. Informative and extremely objective focus.
Oh wow! I had no idea. Can’t believe I was conned into voting for R4GV in 2019. I even exchanged a few friendly words with ‘Joss’ Bigmore outside the polling station at Boxgrove. Thanks for raising awareness of this con!
Thank goodness those tower blocks were refused permission. Not what I thought I was voting for with R4GV last time round! Doing 'something' is not an argument for doing this. I think people overestimate how many read the local paper or local websites - not all of which seem to be keen to challenge it anyway, mentioning no names ;-) - and many had no idea until folk started to raise their concerns on Facebook feeds. Very grateful to those people speaking up despite the obvious protests from those who hoped it would sail through.
Hi Robin, Thanks for bringing this to a wider audience I remember seeing plans regarding North St Redevelopment but don't remember 13 storey blocks being mentioned in fact I still wonder how Bishops & Mount CTs ever got planning permission in the early 60s, I'm all for progress and we certainly need a lot more housing in the borough but not this and not in this location, Anyway keep up the good fight and I for one will be keeping a closer eye on proceedings! Cheers
Thank you, Robin, very informative. It changed my mind about R4GV.
Thanks for raising awareness on this Issue Robin. but sadly it comes as no surprise, to learn of more deceitful politicians saying one thing and doing the opposite. Good for the 2 Conservative MPs, voting against the scheme, but sadly they are affiliated with a party which has proven itself to be consistently untrustworthy. Perhaps these individuals should stand as truly independent candidates, that is what we really need, people with integrity, free of moral and financial corruption, not compromised by party interests, but who actually have the best interests of the local community at heart.
All development should be commensurate with and sympathetic to its surroundings. This proposal was clearly neither. Is this yet another case of developers putting forward ridiculous proposals so that when they propose something a little less awful it gets passed by the council? I wouldn't be at all surprised. Thanks for raising awareness of this issue. 👍
If we let 13 storey buildings go up, then what next? 20? 40? Look at what a blight on the landscape Woking has become.
Excellent
It is mad how the public are not made aware of all the facts and the historic past of elected members gets buried. Great film
This is a horrible plan, nobody wants to be in London because of these Tower houses and they want to do this in Guildford, it is a shame and pitiful. Thank you for raising this
I am a guildford resident of 40 years, who has actually bothered to go and look at plans and comment on them over the years. I was not aware of this proposal, and am grateful that fiona white did vote against. I will now follow this much more carefully. I am also a resident who didn't even get a letter when my next door neighbour got permission to do a major extension, and by neighbour I mean the other half of our semi detached house. So I am very wary of the councils claims about widespread consultation. I also wonder with another x homes feeding traffic onto Woodbridge road, how will access to the station be further fouled up with the closure of walnut tree close. There is a site that has been empty for years on the Portsmouth road, why not get that sorted out first?
Wow. An excellent hard hitting video, well researched.
Actually..the consultation on both these was widespread and welcomed. I responded and I don't live in the centre of Guildford. The reality is that the Local Plan the Tories pushed through just before the last election set the parameters for these applications for Planning Permission.The opportunity ( ie to set in place policies that limited the height of buildings) was missed at that time They pushed it through using figures of expected population increase which have since been trashed,committing the Borough to granting planning permission for far higher level of population increase. Plus the Tory Govt mandates that the Borough Council MUST discuss proposed applications with developers. 40% affordable housing was a desire which was never likely to be achievable as has been throughout the country.. Developers have taken this issue to court elsewhere and the borough are left on very weak ground to defend the policy. Dont try and tell me everything would have been good under the Tories..because they gave away our Greenbelt and identified areas for development for residential and retail and commerce... All that has happened since is trying to make the best of a very bad job indeed. I am surprised at Mr Horsley...because both developments were given very wide coverage in the press.
Interesting parallels going on in nearby Epsom. It has been put to residents that lots of housing must be built, and built on greenbelt land. Obviously people have and will object to this. So the solution offered, somewhat contrived, is therefore you have to accept ..instead...six storey buildings being built in the town centre... Which will be flats not suitable for families. I wonder who is behind all this scheming?
I really do not understand where the pictures of the future development in your video come from? They are nothing like the pictures shown in the developers video? How can this be and which pictures are correct?
Well done that man 100 percent agree
its sad to see whats happening to my home town.
I can see from the pictures that this development does look cramped and overcrowded, so I can see there are issues. I agree it's important to get the right developments with enough affordable housing.
This is very informative, I was going to vote for the Greenbelt party but if they are in favour of this I will vote for someone else.